- The European Investment Bank (EIB) signs a €175 million loan with the Kanta-Häme Health Care Joint Authority (KHSHP) to construct a new hospital building in the city of Hämeenlinna.
- A new and highly efficient hospital building will help address the shortcomings of the current facilities and contribute to the overall well-being of the approximately 170 000 inhabitants of Kanta-Häme.
The European Investment Bank has signed a €175 million loan with the Kanta-Häme Health Care Joint Authority for the construction of the Ahvenisto (“Assi”) hospital, a new integrated building in the city of Hämeenlinna. The project supports the integration of services in line with the health and social care reform to be implemented as of 2023, and helps address the most urgent issues facing the region: advanced ageing of the population, a shortage of qualified healthcare staff, an increasing disease burden and the greater cost of healthcare services.
The investment comprises the construction of an entirely new hospital building (about 79 000 m2) located next to the present facility and the connection with the existing logistics centre. The current Kanta-Häme central hospital was built in 1979 and it is the only acute care hospital in Finland not to have been renovated or replaced since then. In terms of energy efficiency, the new hospital has been designed to perform about 20% better than the legally required level and will serve as a climate friendly building.
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros said: “Investing in up-to-date healthcare infrastructure addresses future needs stemming from the ongoing or other healthcare emergencies. I am glad to see that the new hospital is replacing outdated facilities. It will allow for a greater focus on personalised care, an improved working environment, and optimised patient and workforce mobility. The new hospital will also adhere more closely to current and future health and safety regulations.”
KHSHP CEO Seppo Ranta: “The new Assi hospital marks a crucial improvement in healthcare in the Kanta-Häme region. The planning of the new hospital started from the goal of creating an excellent customer and patient experience. The new building will be a smart hospital with state-of-the-art technological solutions. EIB is a major funding partner in this project, and a key player in making this major improvement possible.”
The Bank has extensive experience and a strong track record in financing investments in the healthcare sector in Finland. Over the last 15 years, it has supported several operations with total financing volumes exceeding €2 billion.
Background information:
Since its first operation in Finland in 1994, the EIB has made over €25.4 billion in loans available for Finnish projects. The EIB borrows money on capital markets and lends it to projects that support EU objectives, with about 90% of all loans granted within the European Union.
The Kanta-Häme Health Care Joint Authority (KHSHP), a first time borrower from the EIB, is a municipal healthcare authority composed of 11 member municipalities from the Kanta-Häme region which is located about 100 km north of Helsinki. It owns and maintains the Central Hospital of Kanta-Häme, which is located in the City of Hämeenlinna and has 268 beds and 1 911 staff.
